“Long Way Home,” by the Coyote Problem, was the most-downloaded MP3 from SDReader.com during February. Below is an interview with songwriter Peter Bolland.
Has it been easier or harder to write songs during tough times?
Peter Bolland: If anything, it’s easier during tough times. Pain is a catalyst. After the pain comes the change. And how can you keep silent about that? You learn a lot when you lose, and the wisdom that wells up in you bleeds out through your guitar. Hopefully, songs capture the flow. Maybe these songs can do other people some good. Judging by the emails I get from fans all over the world, this song brought about a lot of healing. I’m humbled by that.
Does writing a song like this change your luck or fill a void?
I don’t know about luck, but it definitely fills a void. Good songs tell the truth. Great songs show you the truth in your own life, truth you’d overlooked. The best songs give you back to yourself. When we recorded this song, we knew we had something special. And then when Lisa Sanders came in and added a third harmony, Sven (my producer) and I just looked at each other and nodded — we knew we had an album opener. The sound of our three voices — me, Billy Fritz, and Lisa Sanders — is the emotional core of this album.
Did the Coyote Problem split up? What’s in store for CP this year?
No, Coyote Problem did not split up. We’re on hiatus.... I love music and will always write and perform in some capacity, but running the business, dealing with booking, promotions, the scores of web presences we have, the competition, the envy, the striving and the ambition — I felt my joy pulling me in other directions. For a while, anyway. Danny, Billy, and John are busy in several other projects. I’m doing a few solo shows here and there, and we are all very proud of what we created and humbled by the beauty that happened when we got together and made music.
Partial lyrics to “Long Way Home”:
Have you ever crawled out of a hole so deep
That it took you all year just to find your feet
It’s a long way home
You stumble and trip on a bare root
Fall flat on your face, they’re all looking at you
And it’s a long way home
Looking up at the road that winds and climbs
I’m gonna run till I’m bleeding, broke and blind
Broken bottles all over the floor
Got a bad debt down at the company store
And it’s a long way home
You’re carrying dirt you don’t know what for
You want to put it down, but you carry some more
And it’s a long way home
Waking up in the middle of a dream
Taking back my soul and coming clean
You got no map, just the pull of your heart
And a memory of a fresh start
And it’s a long way home
“Long Way Home,” by the Coyote Problem, was the most-downloaded MP3 from SDReader.com during February. Below is an interview with songwriter Peter Bolland.
Has it been easier or harder to write songs during tough times?
Peter Bolland: If anything, it’s easier during tough times. Pain is a catalyst. After the pain comes the change. And how can you keep silent about that? You learn a lot when you lose, and the wisdom that wells up in you bleeds out through your guitar. Hopefully, songs capture the flow. Maybe these songs can do other people some good. Judging by the emails I get from fans all over the world, this song brought about a lot of healing. I’m humbled by that.
Does writing a song like this change your luck or fill a void?
I don’t know about luck, but it definitely fills a void. Good songs tell the truth. Great songs show you the truth in your own life, truth you’d overlooked. The best songs give you back to yourself. When we recorded this song, we knew we had something special. And then when Lisa Sanders came in and added a third harmony, Sven (my producer) and I just looked at each other and nodded — we knew we had an album opener. The sound of our three voices — me, Billy Fritz, and Lisa Sanders — is the emotional core of this album.
Did the Coyote Problem split up? What’s in store for CP this year?
No, Coyote Problem did not split up. We’re on hiatus.... I love music and will always write and perform in some capacity, but running the business, dealing with booking, promotions, the scores of web presences we have, the competition, the envy, the striving and the ambition — I felt my joy pulling me in other directions. For a while, anyway. Danny, Billy, and John are busy in several other projects. I’m doing a few solo shows here and there, and we are all very proud of what we created and humbled by the beauty that happened when we got together and made music.
Partial lyrics to “Long Way Home”:
Have you ever crawled out of a hole so deep
That it took you all year just to find your feet
It’s a long way home
You stumble and trip on a bare root
Fall flat on your face, they’re all looking at you
And it’s a long way home
Looking up at the road that winds and climbs
I’m gonna run till I’m bleeding, broke and blind
Broken bottles all over the floor
Got a bad debt down at the company store
And it’s a long way home
You’re carrying dirt you don’t know what for
You want to put it down, but you carry some more
And it’s a long way home
Waking up in the middle of a dream
Taking back my soul and coming clean
You got no map, just the pull of your heart
And a memory of a fresh start
And it’s a long way home